Phones banned from EIF events after 'every single' Queen's Hall concert disrupted last summer

The festial has launched it “Lights Down, Phones Off” campaign, calling for audiences to switch off devices to ensure calls, notifications and alarms do not disrupt its performances.

Phone use in theatres has become a hot topic in recent months, after actors have stopped performances or addressed audiences directly over the issue.

The festival said it was acting at the request of audience members after concerts at the Queen’s Hall last year were disrupted by phone use.

Nicola Benedetti, director of the EIF, said: "Live performance is unlike anything else, and the Edinburgh International Festival is here to protect the rarity of this experience. The power of our programme is intensified by the tangible, collective presence of everyone in the room, and we want you to be with us fully.

“When the lights go down and the performance starts, we would like phones to disappear from our hands, minds and ears.

“Views on this have been widely and boldly expressed in recent months and we are acting in communion with our beloved audiences, and extraordinary artists.

“The late, great Alfred Brendel, whom we pay tribute to in our Queen’s Hall series this year, said it best: 'The audience's contribution is concentration and silence – it's an electricity the musician can charge from.'

“That electricity is real, I've felt it from the stage my whole life. We encourage our audiences to switch off their phones, and let the art do the rest.”

“We believe that live performance is most powerful when artists and audiences are in real communion with one another. On or off the stage, we all have a role to play. We're asking for your full attention so we can give you something unforgettable.”

Earlier this month, Rosamund Pike became the latest actor to add her voice to the debate when she returned to the stage after her final bow at a performance of her play Inter Alia in London to reprimand a theatre goer for allegedly texting during the performance. Meanwhile, in April, Cynthia Erivo interrupted her one-woman performance of Dracula to demand of an audience member, “Are you filming right now?”

The EIF saidt was inviting audience members “to tune out the outside world” this August.

A statement on the festival’s blog said: “Calls, notifications, alarms – how often do we get the chance to leave all that behind? A live performance is the ideal opportunity to lose yourself in the moment.

“So, this year, we're saying it plainly: Lights Down, Phones Off.”

The EIF said photographs during curtain calls - or before the start of a show - were acceptable.

It said: “It’s important that we set clear expectations for everyone. Before the performance begins, feel free to snap a photo, send that last message, or share the moment online.

“The same goes for the interval or curtain call. But during the performance itself, take the opportunity to be fully present.”

It said: “We're acting on what audiences and artists have told us: phones are disruptive. In 2025, phones interrupted every single concert in our Queen’s Hall chamber series, to the frustration of everyone in the room. It’s not only disruptive for those present but creates further issues when concerts are being recorded for radio broadcast for the benefit of thousands more people listening at home.”